Painful Goodbyes
by Serinidia
Summary: Peter is forced to say goodbye to a certain ex-con. Neal is forced to say goodbye to the world and the world loses a lovable felon. CHARACTER DEATH! NOT Slash!
1. Neal's POV

_**Author's Note: Just a quick little one-shot. Might do another chapter, just from Peter's view. I don't know, if I get enough reviews I'll do it…**_

_**Lyrics are Dear Agony from Breaking Benjamin. Enjoy!**_

* * *

Neal stood by the old bank building with a brief case in hand. It was a windy and chilly day but the young man didn't seem to notice. He was waiting for Daniel to arrive so that they could work out a deal.

"No sign of him yet, Peter." Neal sighed into the hidden com link, voice sounding bored.

"Just wait a bit longer Neal. You know how the traffic is at this time of day."

_Yes, I do_ Neal thought as he leaned up against the wall._ That's why I planned the confrontation to be here and at this time_.

Neal walked down the sidewalk in order to pass the time. He had just gotten to the corner and was about to turn around when a large blue van careened around the corner, the side door open.

_What the hell_? Neal thought blankly.

Guns.

The men in the van were holding guns and Neal knew exactly who those guns were for. Himself.

"Umm… Peter we have an is-" The sentence was cut short as Neal gave a small cry of pain and his hand went around his abdomen reflexively.

Something slammed into the young con artist twice, making Neal felt like someone was punching him. He looked down in disbelief and saw the crimson liquid leaking out of the bullet wounds.

* * *

I have nothing left to give  
I have found the perfect end  
You were made to make it hurt  
Disappear into the dirt  
Carry me to heaven's arms  
Light the way and let me go  
Take the time to take my breath  
I will end where I began

* * *

Neal didn't remember falling. He just remembered the world tilting in a strange fashion and the brief flicker of confusion.

There was another screech, this time of breaks and Neal flinched reflexively. The men in the van had probably come back to finish the job.

Which is why he was surprised when he heard Peter's voice calling to him, hands shaking his body gently in an effort to get him to respond.

* * *

Dear Agony  
Just let go of me  
Suffer slowly  
Is this the way it's got to be?  
Dear Agony

* * *

Peter looked worried and Neal wondered why. He wanted to ask the older man why he was so upset but couldn't get the words to form. For some reason he couldn't get his vocal chords to work properly and his mouth felt dry.

So dry…

Breathing was hard, so difficult. It was really an easy task and he shouldn't even have to think about it. Normally he wouldn't but then again he thought wryly, _this isn't normally_.

_Concentrate Neal_ he encouraged himself. _Breathe in breathe out. God that hurt. Breathe in breathe out. Ignore the pain Caffrey. _

A part of him rebelled, wanting to give in to the approaching darkness.

* * *

Suddenly  
The lights go out  
Let forever  
Drag me down  
I will fight for one last breath  
I will fight until the end

"Caffrey? Answer me damn it, Neal."

_Huh_, Neal pondered, _someone's a little pushy_.

"No, no, no, Neal. Stay with me Neal. You got that? Stay with me!" Peter was sounding desperate.

_Want to Peter, but we can't always get what we want_.

Dear Agony  
Just let go of me  
Suffer slowly  
Is this the way it's got to be?  
Don't bury me  
Faceless enemy  
I'm so sorry  
Is this the way it's gotta be?  
Dear Agony

* * *

He wanted it to go away. The pain. It was horrible and kept him from concentrating.

Neal could feel his beating desperately, trying to pump freshly oxygenated blood throughout the body at a very fast rate.

Too bad there wasn't enough of that precious oxygenated blood to go around…

"P-Peter?" He croaked the words weakly.

"Neal? Just a little longer Neal, don't give up. _Please_!" Peter Burke was actually begging him to stay with him.

Neal shuddered and fought back the surge of panic. If Peter was pleading with him to hold on then things must be worse than he thought.

" 'M cold." Neal admitted as he felt the warmth of his body leech away. Just like his blood was spilling out of his body.

* * *

Leave me alone  
God let me go  
I'm blue and cold  
Black sky will burn  
Love pull me down  
Hate lift me up  
Just turn around  
There's nothing left

* * *

"Neal? No, don't do this to me Neal."

_Was Peter crying_?

Neal was fighting to breathe, his lungs rebelling and sent waves of pain through his system in protest.

* * *

Somewhere far beyond this world  
I feel nothing anymore

* * *

The edges around his vision were fading, and Neal squinted up at his friend. He felt Peter squeeze his hand and Neal did his best to squeeze back.

* * *

Dear Agony  
Just let go of me  
Suffer slowly  
Is this the way it's got to be?  
Don't bury me  
Faceless enemy  
I'm so sorry  
Is this the way it's gotta be?  
Dear Agony

* * *

There was tight band restricting his chest and Neal struggled to free himself of it. Darkness was moving in quickly now and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

* * *

I feel nothing anymore

* * *

Neal shuddered again and let the darkness take him.


	2. Peter's POV

_****_

Author's Note: Well, here's Peter's POV. The lyrics are "Side Of A Bullet" by Nickelback. Enjoy and pleasssse leave me a review!

* * *

Uncle Sam taught him to shoot  
Maybe a little too well  
Finger on the trigger, loaded bullet  
He hit the stage so full of rage  
And let the whole world know it  
Six feet away, they heard him say  
"Oh God, don't let him pull it"

* * *

FBI Agent Peter Burke sighed as he leaned forward, propping his elbows up on the small desk in front of him. The cramped setting of the stake-out van was getting stuffy and he half-wished that he could trade places with Neal.

The younger man was outside by an old bank and Peter was desperately envious of the fresh air that the ex-con artist got to breath.

"No sign of him yet Peter." Neal's voice sounded anxious and bored at the same time.

Peter decided to blame it on the younger man's nerves. "Just wait a bit longer Neal. You know how traffic is at this time of day." He replied soothingly.

There was silence on the other end of the line and Peter saw the dot that represented Neal moving up and down the sidewalk.

_I really need to teach him how to be a bit more patient_, Peter groaned mentally.

"What the-" Jones' startled voice rang through the van loudly.

Peter looked up, covering the com link and mouthed, "What's wrong?"

"That van just about took us out!" Jones exclaimed using his hands to show what he meant.

_Just about took us out_, the words ran through Peter's brain like a claxon bell.

_Oh my God, Neal! _Peter's eyes widened and he looked up urgently.

"Jones move to where Neal is NOW!" Peter ordered his voice frantic.

"Umm… Peter," Neal's voice sounded alarmed and scared, "we have an is-"

* * *

Please God, don't let him pull it  
How could you put us through it?  
His brother watched you do it

* * *

The rest of Neal's words either never left the young man's mouth or were simply covered up by the sound of a gun firing.

"Neal!" Peter called his partner's name loudly when he heard Neal grunt in pain.

The van came to a sudden stop, and the brakes protested the action with a loud squeal. Peter didn't care that the van was still moving when he jumped out of the side door. Didn't care that they had almost caused a nasty pile-up because of the suddenness of the stop.

Peter sprinted to Neal and had just barely reached his friend's side when the young con-artist collapsed. The FBI agent reached out and just barely managed to catch his partner.

Peter carefully lowered Neal to the ground and shook him. A moan, a grunt or a complaint, _anything_ was better than the silence that Neal was giving him right now.

The older man's face creased into a frown and he called to Neal multiple times. The only answer he got was a confused look.

_Jesus, Neal._ Warm, sticky blood coated Peter's hands as the shaking agent struggled to save his partner.

* * *

How could you take his life away?  
(What made you think u had the right?)  
How could you be so full of hate?  
(To take away somebody's life)  
And when I heard you let him die  
And made the world all wonder why  
I sat at home and on my own,  
I cried alone

And scratched your name  
On the side of a bullet

* * *

"Easy Neal, I'm here buddy." Peter babbled almost incoherently he was terrified for Neal. Having a dry mouth didn't make talking any easier.

"Neal? Come on Neal, please!" Peter was blinking back tears. "Caffrey? Answer me damn it Neal."

He saw an emotion-similar to annoyance-flash across the younger man's face as the agent pressed down on the injuries.

"No, no, no, no Neal. Stay with me Neal. You got that? Stay with me!" Peter was desperate, and his voice cracked in the middle of the sentence.

He could see the splendor and charisma that made up Neal Caffrey slipping away from him. It was going somewhere not even Peter could go.

A flash of regret shot through Neal's pain fogged eyes and the blue orbs brightened up for a brief moment; back to the way they were supposed to be. The moment slipped by though, and Peter knew what was happening.

Not that he wanted to acknowledge it.

If he did then it meant that he was giving up on Neal and he would never ever give up on the younger man.

* * *

And in the wake of his mistake  
So many lives are broken  
Gone forever from a loaded bullet  
And no excuse that you could use  
Could pull somebody through it  
And to this day so many say  
"God why'd you let him do it?"

* * *

The only sound that Peter was aware of was the rasping, wheezing breathing that Neal was struggling to perform.

"P-Peter?" The weak croak startled Peter and gazed down at Neal hopefully. _You'll get through this kiddo_.

"Neal? Just a little longer Neal, don't give up. _Please_!" Peter was begging his friend. The FBI agent _never_ begged anyone for anything.

Until now.

Now he was begging for his friend, partner's and consultant's life. _Hell Neal, I don't know how you did it! How did get to me like this?_ Peter already knew the answer to that question. _Friendliness, child-like eagerness, innocence, trusting, naïve, selfless,_ all of those words described the young man that was bleeding out in front of him. _Forgiving, I mean how can you like me? I through your butt in jail twice Neal!_

* * *

How could you let him do it?  
How could you put us through it?  
His brother watched him do it

* * *

Peter chocked back a sob, not wanting Neal to get worried. He felt the younger man shiver and a new spike of fear shot through his body.

_Oh God Neal. Don't do this. Don't give up on me buddy._

"'M cold."

Peter flinched when he heard Neal tell him what he had already figured out.

"Neal? No, Neal don't do this too me."

The tears Peter had been trying to fight back for such a long time now had finally broken through his reserve. They slid unbidden down his cheeks and Peter snuffled miserably.

Neal's breathing was now completely ragged, labored and irregular. His skin was cooling slowly under Peter's hands and the older agent felt his own breathing hitch. Pressing his face into Neal's chest, not caring about the blood, Peter sobbed. His pent up emotions had broken the dam and Peter didn't have a clue as to how to regain control.

Right now he didn't care.

He could hear the weak, _thub-a-lub_ of Neal's heart as the organ strained to perform.

"Please Neal." The agent's voice was hoarse and the emotion poured out of it.

He felt a shaking hand touch his and Peter opened his palm automatically. The hand found its way into his and Peter squeezed it gently.

Peter looked up and his eyes met with the dull baby blue ones. Tears were swimming in Neal's eyes as the younger man looked at Peter imploringly. Begging Peter to fix this problem like he always did.

This wasn't something Peter could fix, and it was tearing him apart. There was a gentle pressure as he felt Neal attempt to squeeze his hand back. The breath rattled in his partner's throat a few more times before and eerie silence greeted Peter Burke's ears. How was he supposed to tell El about this? _God, Neal why?_

* * *

How could you take his life away?  
(What made you think u had the right?)  
How could you be so full of hate?  
(To take away somebody's life)  
And when I heard you let him die  
And made the world  
all wonder why  
I sat at home and cried alone  
and on my own  
I scratched your name  
On the side of a bullet

* * *

The much-despised Fedora sat in a puddle of its owner's blood and the tears that dripped down on it from Peter's eyes gave the illusion that the hat itself was weeping for the loss of its owner.

One Special Agent Burke picked the hat up and stroked it fondly, determined to keep the only thing that could remind of Neal the most.

* * *

_**Author's Note: Well, this'll be the last update to any of my stories until either next Monday or Tuesday. I'm going down to Atlantic Beach to see what kind of state Hurricane Earl has left my place down there in on Friday. **_

_**Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed it and have a happy Labor's Day weekend!**_


End file.
